Taran Matharu
Taran was born in London in 1990 and found a passion for reading at a very early age. His love for stories developed into a desire to create his own, writing his first book at nine years old. Straight after graduating with a first-class degree in business administration, Taran was keen to explore a new avenue and get inside the publishing world, landing an internship in digital sales at Penguin Random House, from June to September 2013.
At 22, while taking time off to travel, Taran began to write The Summoner series as part of NaNoWriMo 2013. After posting the story on Wattpad.com, it received over 3 million reads in less than six months. After this was featured by NBC News, Taran decided to launch his professional writing career, and has never looked back.
Taran was the BookTrust Writer in Residence in 2017/18.
Books
Contender: The Chosen
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Interest age: 12-15
Reading age: 11+
This is the first book in a trilogy from the bestselling author of the Summoner series.
Plenty of gore, and nail-biting jeopardy punctuate a mystery adventure that has many elements of a video game, so will appeal to gamers as well as lovers of fantasy fiction.
Summoner: The Outcast
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Interest age: 10-15
Reading age: 10+
This prequel to the Summoner series is an excellent introduction to the world of Hominum for new readers, and a welcome “what happened before?” for fans. A page-turning battle fantasy with a sensitive consideration of class and corruption.
The Battlemage
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Interest age: 9-12
Reading age: 9-12
The conclusion to the incredibly successful Summoner trilogy has plenty of action, and, while it’s emotional to leave Fletcher and the other well-drawn characters, Matharu ends things on a high with dragons, demons, battles and revelations galore.
The Inquisition
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Interest age: 9-12
Reading age: 9-12
The perfect balance of excitement, adrenaline-rich action, magic, fantasy and gaming, the second in the Summoner series is perfect for fantasy fans, gamers and action-loving kids (and adults).
The Novice
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Hodder
If you enjoyed Eragon by Christopher Paolini or you are a fan of The Hobbit then this is the book for you.